Cabin Fever by Alisha Rai

here?”
    Alex paused. It wasn’t the same thing. He wasn’t putting away the scum of the earth or keeping the public safe from anything more severe than jaywalkers. His job wasn’t about fulfillment in Harrison. It was just…a job. But he was a cop. That was the important thing. Honestly, if he lost that title, he wasn’t sure what he was.
    Since he didn’t want to contemplate it too severely, he tried to inject more enthusiasm into his voice than he felt. “Sure. Doesn’t matter how big a town is. Everyone needs law and order.”
    Her smile was the softest he’d ever seen it. “I can tell you really believe in the system. That’s great.”
    Alex raised a brow. “Why do I get the feeling you’re patronizing me?”
    “I’m not.”
    “I’m not naïve. There are shades of grey everywhere, I get that. But, yeah, for the most part, there’s a right and a wrong way to go about things.”
    She was silent, but she didn’t move from his arms. “Yeah. So you like living there?”
    Alex tried to choose his words carefully, since he knew, for some reason, it mattered to Genevieve. “I like the pace. I like the size of the town, that I know who most people are, and they know me. The scenery’s nice too. My apartment’s decent. But it’s not in my blood or anything, the way this place might be in yours.”
    “This place isn’t in my blood.”
    So why do you stay? He didn’t want to get into a fight though, not when she was curled so soft and sweet against him. He rubbed his chin against the top of her head. The strands got stuck in his beard. “Sorry.”
    She drew away, untangling them. “You need to shave.”
    Time for a lighter tone. “That would be wonderful. Got a razor?”
    “Oh. Um. Sure. Hang on.”
    She escaped to the bathroom where she popped a new razor cartridge into her shaver and grabbed the other supplies he would need. Her hands were shaking, she was surprised to notice. His tale of woe had affected her more than she’d thought.
    Damn it, she didn’t want to see him hurt. Every hour that she spent with him, she fell a little bit more in…
    Lust. That was all it was. Pure lust. “Just bang him and get it over with,” she muttered to herself. Hell, why not? They both knew where this was headed.
    She was still giving herself a pep talk when she returned to the room. She set down the towels, the bowl of hot water she’d drawn from the bathroom sink and the shaving supplies. “I brought you a mirror. Do you want me to hold it?”
    He ran his hand over his jaw. “Actually, do you mind doing the shaving? I’m afraid to allow myself near my own throat with a razor. My hand’s still shaky.”
    “You trust me with a blade to your throat?”
    “I think I’ve established that I trust you with my life in every way,” he said simply. She felt equally humbled and envious. How nice to be that certain of anything.
    She cleared her throat. “Sure. You’re going to smell a bit like pomegranates. Hope that’s okay.” She held up the pink can of shaving foam she used.
    He eyed the can warily. “Since I didn’t know pomegranates even had a scent, I guess that will have to do. I don’t mind if you don’t.”
    Like she cared what his jaw smelled like. Unwilling to damage his trust, she took her time shaving him, leaving not a single nick on his rough skin. When she patted away the remaining foam, he smiled, revealing a heretofore unnoticed dimple in his cheek, and she caught her breath. She’d been wholly unsuccessful in resisting the charm of her scruffy, manly houseguest. But with his beard gone, Alex was simply beautiful, his features picture perfect. Had he showed up on her door looking like this, she probably would have dropped her panties on the spot.
    Yeah, ’cause you’re playing so hard to get.
    “How do I look?”
    “Great.” Her throat was hoarse, so she tried again. “Really good.”
    “Thanks. I feel so much better. You know what else would help?”
    Alex tucked a strand of